The young timer scheme is loved by business drivers in the Netherlands. When cars are 15 years old, they are eligible for the favorable addition rate. So every year new models are added that can be driven at a competitive price. We list a bunch of ‘interesting debutants’ in the more compact class.
First a brief refresher on the young timer scheme for those who are less at home in addition land. If you drive more than 500 private kilometers with your business car, you annually add 35 percent of the current value of the car to your taxable income. This addition percentage only applies if your car has the young timer status, i.e. when the vehicle is at least 15 years old. The current market value is in most cases quite favorable, so that you pay relatively little addition and at the same time can deduct all car costs from the operating profit. The favorable addition rate starts from the day the car turns 15 years old, measured from the first international registration. So you have to keep a close eye on that. You cannot buy the car earlier and only then decide to add it. While you are driving for business, you can choose whether or not to add, but that means that you cannot drive your car privately until January 1, 2022, if you initially decide not to add.
Looking for a compact middle class of 15 years or older that will be tax-friendly to drive from next year? Then pay attention, we list a few:
1. Dodge Caliber
The Dodge Caliber was launched in March 2006. The compact hatchback replaced the Dodge Neon and Chrysler PT Cruiser. Although ‘compact’ with its length of 4.41 meters is a relative concept. With the Caliber, Dodge wanted to tap into new markets, especially in Europe and Asia. At the same time, the Caliber had to serve as an alternative to the standard MPVs of the time: the Volkswagen Golf Plus, Ford Focus C-Max and the Seat Altea. The Caliber has a much tougher appearance than those three, especially due to the square nose, sloping roofline and flared wheel arches. In terms of motorization, the choice was limited to two petrols and one diesel with 150, 156 and 140 hp respectively. Incidentally, the self-igniter came off the shelves of Volkswagen. At the time, the Caliber was available from € 18,999, nowadays they are already for sale for under € 5,000.
2. Jeep Compass
To stay in the American atmosphere for a while: the first generation of the Jeep Compass will also be tax-friendly to drive from next year. Like the Dodge Caliber, the Compass is on the GS platform, which was developed jointly by the then DaimlerChrysler and Mitsubishi. This means that the Compass can be compared with the Caliber in terms of size, the interior also shows the necessary similarities. From the outside, the similarities are not visible, because the Jeep has a pretty striking design. The front in particular attracts attention with its historically designed grille and hammer lights. The Jeep was available with the same 140 hp diesel engine as the Caliber, but also with a 2.4-liter four-cylinder with 170 hp. Thanks to four-wheel drive, you can also go a long way off the beaten track with this Yank. With a starting price of € 27,750, the Compass was a lot more expensive than the Caliber at the time. The Compass is rarer on the second-hand market, but for between € 5,000 and € 10,000 you can enter the site tax-friendly from next year.
3. Peugeot 207
A car that perhaps better fits the term in the title is the Peugeot 207. Despite the fact that Peugeot’s design language has been heavily criticized since 2005, the hatchback is still a common appearance on the street today. The 207 was initially available as a hatchback, SW and CC with three petrol versions: a 1.4 with 75 hp or 91 hp and a 1.6 with 110 hp. At a later stage, the 207 got the more powerful 1.6 THP under the hood, but this blown petrol engine was not entirely free of problems. Diesel engines could choose from a 1.4 with 70 hp or a 1.6 HDi with 90 hp or 110 hp. The 207 is a larger (20 cm longer) and more mature car than its predecessor, the 206, but you do deliver a bit of driving pleasure. The range is wide and the atmospheric petrol engines that can be driven from next year tax-friendly are generally known as reliable. However, this applies less to the electrical matters in the 207.
4. Volvo C30
You either love it or you don’t like it, but Volvo dared to bring at least a striking hatchback on the market with the C30. The glass trunk in particular, a clear reference to the 480 ES, is a prominent style element. From the end of 2021 it will be tax-friendly to drive, because the C30 only went into production in the autumn of 2006. Volvo focused its arrows with the C30 in particular on the Audi A3. The hatchback naturally shares many components with its bigger brother, the S40, because of its shared basis. For example, the dashboard is one on one the same. The C30 was also praised for its comfort. It is not really practical, because although the two rear passengers can sit well, the luggage space with 251 liters is not left. In terms of engines, the choice was certainly huge at Volvo. The price list included no fewer than five gasolines and three diesels. Because the C30 only came on the market at the end of 2006, you will have to look carefully through the range if you want to drive it fiscally advantageous next year. The five cylinders are the finest engines, but that is also reflected in the higher market value.
5. Suzuki SX4 / Fiat Sedici
Suzuki and Fiat joined forces in 2006 and came on the market with a car that would have been very popular in terms of body shape in today’s market: the SX4 or Sedici, depending on whether you went for the Suzuki or Fiat. The SX4 was also available as a sedan, but the compact crossover was the most popular here. The SX4 was available with a 99 hp 1.5, a 107 hp 1.6 or a 1.9 diesel with 120 hp. The 1.6 and the diesel could optionally be supplied with four-wheel drive. The Sedici had the same engines, with the exception of the 1.5. From next year, the SX4 can be driven under the Youngtimer scheme, for the Sedici you will have to wait a little longer. You will not throw high eyes with it, but with the contemporary popularity of SUVs and crossovers, you certainly do not look out of place. Since Suzuki took up two thirds of the total production, you will find the SX4 more often than the Sedici.